Michael Bolton
| died= | hometown= New Haven, Connecticut | knownfor= Singer | season= Dancing with the Stars 11 | partner= Chelsie Hightower | place= 11th | highestscore= 16 (Viennese Waltz) | lowestscore= 12 (Jive) | averagescore= 14.0 }} Michael Bolotin, known professionally as Michael Bolton, is a celebrity from Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars. Early Life Bolton was born Michael Bolotin in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Helen (née Gubin; 1919–2015) and George Bolotin (1912–1981). He has a brother, Orrin, and a sister, Sandra, both older. His family was Jewish, and all of his grandparents had been immigrants from Russia. His parents were divorced when he was very young. Career Music Bolton began recording in 1975. This first album was self-titled using his original family name of Bolotin. Early in his musical career he focused on hard rock, with his band Blackjack once opening for heavy metal artist Ozzy Osbourne on tour. Indeed, in 1983, Bolton auditioned for, but was denied, the lead vocalist position with Osbourne's former band, Black Sabbath. After Anglicizing his family name to Bolton, he gained his first major hit as a songwriter, co-writing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" for Laura Branigan, previously best known for singing the pop hit "Gloria". Narrowly missing the Top 10 on the US pop chart, Branigan took the song to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks in 1983. The two sought to work with each other again, and their next collaboration was when Bolton co-wrote "I Found Someone" for Branigan in 1985. Her version was only a minor hit, but two years later, Cher resurrected the song, and with it her own singing career. Bolton co-wrote several other songs for both singers. Bolton would achieve his greatest success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a singer on the adult contemporary/easy listening charts. One of his first major hits was his 1987 interpretation of the Otis Redding classic "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay". Redding's widow, Zelma Redding, said she was so moved by Bolton's performance "that it brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me so much of my husband that I know if he heard it, he would feel the same." Always interested in soul and Motown classics, Bolton's success with that song encouraged him to tackle the standard "Georgia on My Mind", with which he had another hit. In 1991, Bolton released the album Time, Love & Tenderness which featured his Grammy Award-winning cover version of "When a Man Loves a Woman". As a singer, he has performed with other artists such as: Lucia Aliberti, Patti LaBelle, José Carreras, Tony Cetinski, Ray Charles, Céline Dion, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Wynonna Judd, BB King, The Lonely Island, Luciano Pavarotti, Percy Sledge, and Zucchero. As a songwriter, he has written and collaborated on several songs for other artists as well. Bolton's last Top 40 single in the US in his own right was the 1997 hit "Go the Distance" (featured in the Disney animated motion picture, Hercules), which peaked at No. 1 on the US adult contemporary chart. He hired conductor Larry Baird (orchestral musical director/conductor/arranger for The Moody Blues, Three Dog Night, Al Jarreau, etc.) for his 2001 tour. In 2006, Bolton and his then fiancee Nicollette Sheridan sang a duet, "The Second Time Around", for the album Bolton Swings Sinatra. In March 2007, Bolton toured South Africa for the first time. He was the headline act at Jacaranda 94.2 FM's two-day concert. For Over the Rainbow, an album which was recorded in five days, Bolton recorded the song "New York, New York", which was also on his Bolton Swings Sinatra album. This was for an episode of the TV series Challenge Anneka. The proceeds from the album went to children's hospices across the UK. Bolton performed a duet entitled "Il Mio Amico" with the Italian singer Anna Tatangelo at the Sanremo Music Festival 2008. The song was originally sung by Tatangelo alone, but the duet version contained English lyrics as well. Bolton's album Only a Woman Like You was released in 2001. The title song was co-written by Shania Twain. Bolton released his album One World One Love in the UK 21 September 2009. The first single, "Just One Love", was released one week earlier. In 2011, Bolton was featured as a guest vocalist in The Lonely Island's song "Jack Sparrow" on their Turtleneck & Chain album. His performance with the comedic hip-hop trio focused on his (intentionally) off-topic chorus and miscommunication with the group, and the video featured him dressed in costumes as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Forrest Gump, Erin Brockovich, and Tony Montana from Scarface. As of February 2015, Bolton was working on the recording of a new studio album. He has collaborated with Indian musician A. R. Rahman for a song which was recorded in February 2011 for Gems – The Duets Collection. In 2013, Bolton released the album Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Tribute to Hitsville U.S.A., which featured duets with Kelly Rowland, Melanie Fiona and Orianthi. In 2013 and 2014, Bolton appeared in Honda commercials in which he sings. In 2015 Bolton sang on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight episode concerning the IRS. Acting Bolton has made a number of cameo appearances in feature films and television, usually appearing as himself, such as in Meet Wally Sparks and The Nanny. Although he has been rumored to have appeared as an extra in Dune as a "spice-eyed" drummer, Bolton has stated in interviews that it is not him. In August 2006, Bolton was one of Lucy Lawless's duet partners in the Fox network's program Celebrity Duets, which Simon Cowell's Syco Productions Company produced for the network. In 2015, Bolton starred in a Pizza Hut commercial as himself singing "Jingle Bells" while the family opens up their pizza order. Personal Life Bolton was married to Maureen McGuire, but they divorced. They are the parents of three adult daughters: Isa, Holly, and Taryn. Taryn gave birth to a daughter in October 2010. Bolton was introduced to actress Nicollette Sheridan in 1992 by adult contemporary/jazz saxophonist Kenny G. Bolton and Sheridan dated until 1995, stopped dating, then reunited in 2005 and became engaged in March 2006; however, it was confirmed in August 2008 that they had broken off their engagement. In January 2013, Bolton published an autobiography, The Soul of It All: My Music, My Life. Dancing with the Stars 11 Bolton was a contestant in the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars. He and his dance partner Chelsie Hightower were the second couple to be eliminated, on 28 September 2010. Scores Gallery Michael_Bolton_and_Chelsie_Hightower_dwts_11.jpg MichaelBolton-Promo11.jpg Category:Males Category:Season 11 contestants Category:Contestants Category:Singers